From Spending FRENZY to Spending FREEZE!!!

Okay, so are you ready to see what I bought on our Anniversary Weekend Getaway? I’m ready to show you…

I think I truly have the kindest hubby in the world…he let me go wherever I wanted… which of course, you all know, is fabric shops. We started out first thing Saturday morning by going to Hancock’s of Paducah. Now this isn’t the fabric chain of stores called Hancock’s Fabrics that you are all used to. They share the same name, but the Hancock’s Fabrics I go to is the Largest Quilt Store in America… it’s in Paducah, KY and it’s a one of a kind store. It has over 60,000 square feet of shopping space and it packed to the gills with every kind of fabric, from all over the world.
Every Spring the annual Quilt Show is held and Paducah is flooded with visitors from all over the world.

[If you click on any picture, it will enlarge.]

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Blog Hancocks picture

One of my favorite places to find fabric is on the bargain table…the flatfolds run $5.98/yard and there is plenty to look through…

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These were a few I found…and I had to show you some buttons I put on top…

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I went there specifically to buy an 1/8th of a yard of their black Ultrasuede to make Ten Ping some little black shoes, but they had discontinued it, so I had a few choices in some imitation leather looking fabric… I picked a black fabric that was pretty supple and would be fairly easy to make a tiny pair of shoes from…it has a black backing so there’s no white showing where the shoes are cut…

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After we left Hancock’s, he took me to Quilter’s Alley… in downtown Paducah.

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blog quilters alley inside

I go there to buy my delicate laces and trims. They were out of a lot of the ones I like to buy, but I did pick up these 4… The owner told me to come back sometime and she’d let me look through her “buying catalogs” and I could pick out whatever I liked! I think I heard the angels singing for just a minute there…

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While I was in Quilter’s Alley, a lady handed me a coupon for 25% off one item at Quilt in a Day… which is Eleanor Burns’ quilt shop.

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She has a PBS TV show about Quilting…I took the coupon and asked dear hubby if we could go to one more place…we went…this is what I found there…

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I thought I had done enough damage and wanted to make sure my hubby got in “his time” at Harbor Freight Tools…so we headed there. There are things for ladies there too… I found these 24 compartment storage containers…regularly $7.99…on sale for $2.99…so I helped myself to 4 of them…
The more organized you are, the faster you can find things, and the faster you can find things, the faster you can finish things, and the faster you can finish things, the more you can sell, and the more you can sell, the more money you can make… :o)

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My hubby was thrilled with his purchases and so was I. We had a really nice Italian dinner that evening and reluctantly decided it was time to head home…I didn’t want the weekend to be over, but knew we had to… I got a lot of new fabrics and things but Rebecca wanted to go with me to JoAnn Fabric’s to use the 25% off your total purchase coupon the next day. We did and I picked up just a few more things…

Stretch lace for slips…

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…a few ribbon spools…

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…one yard of a pretty tiny metallic plaid fabric…

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Tulle was 60% off PLUS that 25% off coupon, so I loaded up on 2 more colors…

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…and don’t yell at me, but I had to pick up just a few more buttons… brooches! :o)

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Okay, I’m done…in more ways than one… I am putting myself on a SPENDING FREEZE for a while now! I need to use up lots of what I’ve bought…

I hope you enjoyed seeing my goodies… I enjoyed buying them!

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

24 thoughts on “From Spending FRENZY to Spending FREEZE!!!”

  1. Oh dear, my post I just wrote went away, so now I’m trying again. You are a very lucky lady after that great shopping trip! Love seeing all the fabrics in the stores. How do you know where to start? Does George actually go in the fabric stores too, or wait in the car? Well if my hubby can go to the AG store with me every month, I guess George can go to fabric stores too!

    By the way, I have those exact same buttons, the ones at the bottom with the number 963, for Felicity’s brown church dress. I am just using one for a brooch at the neckline. I spent a good chunk of the day yesterday trying to figure out how to close the dress in the front. I am just “winging it” now to get it finished, which means I am NOT following instructions exactly!! Have you ever done that, Jeanne Marie?

    1. Good morning Linda,
      We did have a lot of fun….maybe me just a little more than my hubby…but he didn’t complain…
      Sometimes George comes in with me… but this time he was looking at his Harbor Freight Flyers “dreaming” of his purchases…
      Inside Hancock’s there is a couple of benches that you always see the men sitting on…

      I like those buttons very much and they work very well for the brooches on period dresses.
      Do I ever “wing it?” Absolutely… all the time…
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. Hi Christine,
      I hope it lasts long… because I certainly went overboard this trip… but it was fun…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. Ohhh, looks like so much fun…I’ve been busy sewing for my Kaye Wiggs doll I ordered America waiting to receive…are you inspired to make a quilt after your visit to Paduka? I know I would be!

    1. HI Suzanne,
      It was fun to go to all those places… you would have loved it too!
      I hope you are having fun sewing for your doll… aren’t Kaye’s dolls wonderful?
      Actually, I’ve made a few quilts in my lifetime, but I’m not much of a quilter…
      I like the fashion end much more than the decorating end…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Oh, Jeanne! I’ve been to Paducah for the big quilt show about ten years ago, and I am well familiar with the flat fold table and Hancock’s! It’s a day trip for me since I live in Virginia. You are blessed you get to visit it often. Paducah is a wonderful quilter/seamstress’s city! So many fabric choices, and I have a few of the pieces you purchased. I’m glad you had such a great anniversary weekend!

    1. Thank you Karen,
      The Quilt Show in Paducah is wonderful, isn’t it? I think they get something like 40,000 visitors when it’s going on. I am very blessed to be only about an hour away from Paducah.
      I do love that flatfold table… just like you.
      That’s funny, that out of all the fabrics I picked up, you have a few of them… guess we think alike…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. Good morning, Jeanne. I wanted to pop on by and say hello, it’s been a while, sorry about that. You HAVE been on a buying spree, but you cannot go on a trip like that and not get anything. Now you have LOTS of fabric to make new dresses with.

    So, have fun sewing and a happy belated anniversary to you and your hubby.

    BTW, that green and mauve-y square print goes so beautifully with your buttons. I love those colors!

    1. HI Cindy,
      I had noticed your name missing from the comments…and my sister (Cindy) even noticed it too. I hope you’ve just been busy. I haven’t popped over to your site for a bit either…sorry too! It seems I am too busy with “life” things right now and it’s stifling my sewing time somewhat… I hope you’re getting lots done. It’s almost sweater weather, and I love this time of year.
      I love that fabric too and thought I had buttons that would go with it. I did!
      Blessings to you, Cindy,
      ~ Jeanne

  5. Wow wow and wow on that Paducah store! I could spend days in there! I like to be organized too. I use those clear divided boxes to store buttons and also my thread. I have my thread sorted by colors. I label the end of the boxes with a label maker to make it even easier to find what I need. So easy to just pull out the box with what I am looking for. Thanks Jeanne for sharing with us. Love it!

    1. HI Marsha,
      Wow is definitely the word to use for this Hancock’s store! That picture is just a fraction of the store. There is a whole Home Decorating section in the back too. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming though. They do have it organized very well, by the manufacturers and by types of fabrics, so it’s pretty easy to find “your” fabrics that you like.
      I just got in some new chipboard cards today to wrap more of my trims on… I like to be able to see them.
      I have my threads out on a rack, but I do have my “spares” in a clear tub like you do.
      Thanks for sharing Marsha,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  6. My feet hurt just seeing all of it 🙂 Loved your choices…so very happy for you that your hubby indulges you like that. I’m wondering too…does he go in the fabric places or wait in the car? Can’t wait to see what you create with your new goodies! Blessings for a pleasant and peaceful day! XO for Reuben.

    1. HI Bobi,
      My hubby knows how much I love fabric, like I know he loves tools… so we both go in each others stores. Sometimes he finds things he can use in “my” stores, and I find things in “his” stores that I can use. This time he was looking at his flyers for tools… so he stayed in the car.

      I’ll have to give an update on Reuben, Bobi, so you can get your “fill” of him. He needs a haircut…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  7. Paducah here I come! Not really, but if I am ever lucky enough to visit the birth state of my mother/grandmother, MO, I won’t miss it. Only an hour away? Great.

    1. Hi Joy,
      Paducah isn’t too far from the very bottom of Illinois… and is pretty close to the top western section of Kentucky. Yes, if you ever get close, check out Hancock’s of Paducah.. you can google them and read their story of how they got started and all about the store.
      Blessings, Jeanne

  8. my,husband likes to look at the notions walls in Joanns or a quilt store. He likes small, precise tools.iThis is why our garage is very crowed with storage cubicles. My favorite pair of summer shoes is lost somewhre in the garage. I keep hoping they will be found when he is looking for something else. It is not easy to lose a pair of shoes but we managed just that.

    1. Hi Jan,
      Yep, you never can tell what you might find in Joann’s or Harbor Freight… My hubby likes the small little compartment containers…the ones about 6″ by 3″ to put screws in…
      I hope your shoes turn up before winter… :o)
      Thanks Jan,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  9. Looks like you had a *wonderful* shopping spree! I have no doubt you’ll put it all to good use! 🙂

    1. Hi Mary,
      I did have a wonderful shopping time… and I certainly will put it all to good use… I just can’t get to all of it right away… but wish I could!
      Blessings, Jeanne

  10. I didn’t realize you were so close to Kentucky, but geography was never my strength. You got a lot of great fabrics, and I have no doubt you’ll use them. I like Harbor Freight too! They have a lot of useful things there. Enjoy your treasure and keep us updated on what you make with them.

    1. HI Carolyn,
      Yes, I’m very fortunate to live to close to Hancock’s… they are a little more on the expensive side for fabrics… hardly ever a sale like you have at JoAnn’s or Hobby Lobby, but still, if you are looking for a certain fabric, they will most likely have it. They are very generous when they cut your fabric too… sometimes it’s 4 or 5 inches left on a bolt and they’ll just give it to you.
      I will let you all know first when I make something from my new goodies…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  11. Somehow I missed going to Hancock’s of Paducah the one time we were there (about 2000 or 2001), but I went to the AQS museum, and I Did get to Quilter’s Alley!! It’s such a nice little shop. I really enjoyed it, and I’m glad to see it’s still there!

    You sure got a lot of interesting things–it’ll be fun to see how you put some of them together! Thanks for taking us along on your shopping trip!

    1. HI Charlotte,
      Oh, you really missed it by not stopping by Hancock’s…The AQS museum is wonderful in itself too and I’m glad you made it to Quilter’s Alley. It’s a fun little shop and worth the stop.
      Thanks for your comments Charlotte,
      Blessings, Jeanne

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